Although Vista comes as the most stable version of Windows and system crashes are becoming more and more scarce, defragmenting the registry and rolling all those maintenance instruments on your computer will always be a good idea as they concert to the good performance of the machine.

A while ago, registry cleaning used to be among the most dreaded activities but, with the avalanche of applications specially designed to lift this burden off users' shoulders, the task of keeping the system not only up and running but also performing at high standards has turned from the tedious attention-requiring, time consuming job, into the simple activity of launching a specialized software that scans, backups and cleans out all the crap in the registry.

CCleaner and EasyCleaner are among my favorites because, besides being free of charge, they also do a helluva job and their powers combined result in a considerably cleaner and healthier registry, leading to a computer that is faster and less prone to giving you problems.

TweakNow RegCleaner Standard edition is yet another free registry cleaning solution designed to scan the heart of Windows and to clean it of all the useless entries that do nothing but slow the system down to a crawl in some cases.

Application window is built for the average user and there aren't too many things to set up or configure, thus the use of the software becomes a true breeze. Although there is little to configure, you will still get a chance to select registry areas you want the program to scan for invalids in order to remove them. The big Clean Now button will actually start the scan process, which can be defined lower in the window.

TweakNow RegCleaner allows for two different types of scans: a quick one that'll only look into the most important parts of the registry, and a custom one that lets you select the areas yourself. Users can manually select between the 9 areas the application can scan and clean, which include sections such as ActiveX/COM, Application Paths, Device Drivers, Fonts, Help, Microsoft Shared, Startup, Uninstall and Sound and Application Events. These are pretty important sections, but it would be nice to also scan for shortcuts, MRU and history lists.

At the bottom of the window, you can use one of the two user modes available: Beginner or Expert. After the scan is over, the application will apply labels for all scan results, segregating them into safe to delete, not fully safe to delete and unknown. Displayed results make the difference between beginner and expert mode, as the former will only display the safe to delete items.

TweakNow RegCleaner makes available to the user the possibility of viewing the items before deleting them, the registry section they belong to and even add them to the exclusion list, so that they are skipped at the next processing operation.

Scan process takes place pretty fast and, considering that the software will always create a backup of the deleted items, the detection and elimination of false positives won't bring about too much harm. However, the software saves the backup file in the installation directory and I would recommend moving it to a safer location manually, as there is no possibility of defining it automatically from the program.

Undoing all the deletions is a piece of cake due to the Restore Now button in the left hand side of the application window. Once pressed, a new window will display all sessions available accompanied by the date of their creation for a better identification. The options available let you delete the backup or restore it (it takes a jiffy to complete).

Standard edition of TweakNow RegCleaner does not do an outstanding job with cleaning your registry, but it does makes its contribution and, when used in combination with other registry cleaners, the results could live up to your standards. The application features few to none settings and completes the job pretty fast.

Classifying the elements in the three categories (safe to delete, not fully safe to delete and unknown) is one advantage of the application, as in some cases it might spare users of unwanted problems. Also, creating a backup of deleted entries ensures the recovery of the registry should something go wrong.

The Good

TweakNow RegCleaner is extremely easy to use and comes with few, but important options, such as automatically backing up deleted elements for future restoration.

It categorizes detected elements and allows the user to add his/her own registry keys that should be skipped during future processing.

The Bad

TweakNow RegCleaner is lacking a few options and registry sections that are included in most cleaners, be they paid versions or freeware.

Also, it seems that it does not have all that it takes to make the most accurate registry scan yet, but this happens with all registry cleaners on the market.

The Truth

The application can definitely move fast, providing the user with the desired safety net in order to avoid an aftermath. We'll put all the lacking options on the account that this is just a free edition of the application because, clearly, there is plenty room for making it better.

It will do its best to carry out the job with high accuracy, but the registry is one tough place and experience has taught us that Windows registry is never a match for a single registry cleaner. So, using more of them would sweep invalid files better and with greater success.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:




MORE RELATED ARTICLES: Make Your PC Smile Help Your Registry Work For You Registry Wizard Registry Cleaning and Defragmenting Registry Cleaning System and Registry Detox Registry Shape Up Keep Your Registry Sane